On the Road to Madness
by FluffyDolphin
Summary: Iruka is sent on a mission. A two man mission. KakaIru
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone! FluffyDolphin here. Well, here it is, my first chaptered fic! I hope you're all as excited as I am! ehem Well, yeah, having never done a chaptered fic before I have no idea how well this will turn out. Well, here goes! Gambarremasu!

Disclaimer: "Naruto" is the intellectual (and actual!) property of Masashi Kishimoto-sama. Not me!

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On the Road to Madness

Chapter 1

"You sent for me Hokage-sama?" Iruka bowed to the attractive honey haired ninja leader. She was standing by the window of her office looking out over the village. As he addressed her she turned and regarded him.

"According to the third's records Iruka, you were of great help to him, indispensable he seemed to think. I regret that I have not yet come to use your services to their full capacity," she said with wry amusement in her eyes.

"Sandaime-sama gave me far too much credit Hokage-sama. I merely did what was needed in terms of administration. I-"

"He also mentioned you were modest," Tsunade cut him off, smiling more warmly this time. _Did the old man write down _everything? Iruka wondered. "I said I had not _yet_ used your abilities as they should be used. I have a mission for you."

Iruka blinked. "A mission Hokage-sama?" Iruka hadn't been on a mission for…how long? He couldn't remember. His job teaching the Konoha's young shinobi had taken far too much time for him to take regular missions which would take him away from class. Besides that, he worked in the mission room and also attended to other administration work that needed doing around the academy. Why was he being given a mission now?

"Please drop the title Iruka-kun, Tsunade will be fine," the Hokage continued. "Yes, a mission. As we are still so short of available ninjas we need to use whoever we can. The number of academy classes has decreased due to rebuilding needs and a genin substitute can be found to take over your mission room duties temporarily. A substitute teacher will be found for the remainder of your classes while you're away."

Away. So this mission would take him away from the village. And for more than a few days was Iruka's guess. He frowned. "Why me Tsunade-sama, if I may be bold enough to ask?"

Tsunade nodded as if she expected the question. "Well, a ninja of at least chunnin rank is needed and you have demonstrated an excellent mastery of the basic jutsu and chakra control over your career as a ninja. The fact that the previous Hokage placed so much trust in you has not gone unnoticed either."

Iruka considered this. "This is not a request is it?" he said, looking in the Hokage's eyes.

"No"

He sighed. He supposed he should have seen this coming. The village was short of capable ninja and though he always only considered himself as a school teacher there was no doubt he had been trained to chunnin level and had been trained well as was to be expected of a Konoha ninja. He straightened. His was not to question orders. That he had done so thus far and not been reprimanded was an indicator of the unusual circumstances. Such questioning would not go ignored again. _Besides_, Iruka considered, _it should be – is – an honour to serve my village. I have been away from mission work for too long_. Though one small part of him regretted this departure from the innocence of his teaching no matter how brief.

"What is my mission?" he asked resigned.

Tsunade smiled at his obvious resolve. Iruka was a valued ninja and Tsunade was coming to see what Sarutobi had seen in him. Then her features turned grim and business like.

"A two man team is to travel to the and see how much is known about the Akatsuki there. This is of course, to be done in absolute secret and with the utmost discretion. Any sign that the Akatsuki have that we are trying to gain information at this time would alert them and invalidate any information we do manage to retrieve. Although Orochimaru has proved to be the main threat to our village, I can no longer ignore the involvement of the Akatsuki in incidents relating to the village. Your orders are to keep hidden and observe, nothing more. Is this clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. You leave tomorrow morning with first light. Please make all preparations for departure before this time. Any questions?"

It all seemed clear to Iruka. Just one more thing. "Er, you said this was a two man mission Tsunade-sama. Who am I being partnered with?"

A knock at the door to the Hokage's office made Iruka turn. "Ah," Tsunade said, "This should be him now."

The door opened and in stepped a ninja in the uniform of a jounin. Wild silver hair swept to one side, his forehead protector pulled down over one eye and most distinctively, a dark mask pulled up over his lower features. "Maa, Good morning," he drawled lazily.

Iruka groaned. _Kakashi._

_

* * *

_  
Yup, there was no denying; much as Iruka would have liked to try. Of all the jounin in the village, of all the ninja, it just had to have been him. Iruka groaned internally.

"Mm? It doesn't seem like Iruka is very pleased to see me Tsunade-sama," Kakashi remarked with a hint of amusement it his voice and stepping further into the room to the Hokage's desk and turning to regard Iruka more closely. "You have told him about the mission?"

Iruka realised he had followed Kakashi's form as he walked around him with what could only be described as a look of depressed resignation. He straightened his face at once and stood taller if that were possible. "I am not displeased to see you Kakashi-sensei, only mildly surprised. And I have been fully briefed," he remarked swiftly. "If that is all Hokage-sama I had better make preparations for tomorrow." With a nod from his superior he exited the room.

Kakashi leaned casually on the edge of the desk and regarded Iruka's retreating form. "Fully briefed…" his one visible eye seemed to glaze over.

Tsunade leaned forward and poked him hard in the back with a pencil. "You'd better behave yourself on this mission Kakashi. And get off my desk."

* * *

Iruka sighed as he slipped slowly into bed and turned out the light. He had spent the remainder of the day making preparations to leave the village. He knew it should not have taken so long and if he has been on active mission service he would have been more proficient at it. He knew some jounin were ready to leave the village with the minimum of notice but having been in a fixed routine for so long he had to make sure he had everything he needed and arrange that things would be taken care of while he was away. He had been complacent enough to start acquiring plants in his house, confident that he would be there to water them – he had had to ask his next-door neighbour but one to do that for him, a sweet middle-aged women with teenage boys. He guessed it was a sign that he had let his training as a ninja diminish slightly. What highly trained assassin who went on regular missions had time to water geraniums? 

Having settled down and rolled onto his side, Iruka reflected on his mission details – or rather, detail. Kakashi. It wasn't that he disliked the guy. But really when one goes shouting one's mouth of at people and sounding like a child whose toy his parents had let someone else play with one would like to be able to avoid that person at all costs. That had been difficult seeing as when he wanted to see Naruto he sometimes had no choice but to see the rest of his team as well, including a certain silver-haired jounin. The thing was Iruka realised once he'd calmed down after his outburst that Kakashi was not going to consciously let anything _really_ bad happen to his former students. Not anything permanent anyway. A whole mission with him? Away from the village? Iruka really did groan this time. _Ah well, better make the most of it I guess. At least I can gain some new insights into the brains behind team 7._ Although, Iruka reflected, this may have been giving Kakashi too much credit. He smirked into his pillow. Yeah, this shouldn't be too bad. He was a capable chuunin trained to take on a horde of chakra-filled, enthusiastic but ultimately skill-less young ninjas at a time. What could happen? With this new and determinedly comforting thought, Iruka slept.

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So, chapter one. Yes...chapter one. Rocks on heels So, how'd it go? 


	2. Chapter 2

Wow! I'm back! My first chapter two ever! Thank you to all of you who reviewed :-  
Isolde1, Diamond, Kakiru, dk-joy, mini-kero, ruka-kun, Remembrancer Hex, shi-chan, Blue Tajiri, Indiana-Jones-fan. That you took the time to review means alot. Especially as there are some names I recognise and admire in there!

Well, without further ado...

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Chapter 2

Iruka woke to an insistent hammering sound which seemed to be coming from the direction of his front door. Groaning he turned to look at his alarm clock beside his bed. About one minute to go before his alarm went off and…

Beep beep beep beep beep…

Yup there it went. It was 4.30 in the morning and the sun wasn't even up yet. Who could be knocking at his door at this time in the morning? Sitting up, Iruka stretched and yawned, not being in any particular hurry to answer the door to who ever was making such a nuisance of themselves. He rose from his bed grabbing the yukata he used as a dressing gown and wrapping it around himself covering the loose trousers in which he slept. Upon opening the front door he found himself face to face with probably the last person he wanted to see that early in the morning. Kakashi. Why did his name always seem to demand a sentence all of it's own?

"Iruka-sensei!" Now that wasn't Kakashi's voice. Peering around the silent but grinning jounin Iruka caught a glimpse of bright orange before he was forcibly thrown backwards into his apartment by the sudden addition to his midriff of the weight of a teenage ninja.

"Omph! Naruto, you're getting too heavy for this!" Iruka exclaimed as he managed to regain his balance. A beaming Naruto looked up and gave one of his typical cheesy laughs.

Iruka noticed, over the top of Naruto's head, Kakashi enter the small apartment. "Ojama shimasu. Look who I found on the way here."

"Naruto! You got up this early?" exclaimed Iruka looking again at his former student who was now standing in front of him hand raised sheepishly to the back of his head.

"Well," he replied, "It's more that I haven't actually gone to bed to have to get up. I was kinda training in the forest."

"All night!"

"E-heh, yeah."

"This your influence is it Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka asked wryly, head turning towards the older man. Kakashi gave a shrug as if to say 'don't look at me' and apparently decided he'd go wait in the kitchen as he turned and left the room.

As Kakashi left the two, Iruka turned to former pupil who appeared to be studying his feet. "It's nothing to do with Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said quietly to the floor.

"But everything to do with Sasuke-kun hmm?"

Naruto looked up. "I have to get him back Iruka-sensei," he said with a hint of pleading in his voice, eyes echoing the need to be understood by this man who meant so much to him, but scared of the answer.

"I know." Naruto's eyes widened and Iruka smiled sadly. "Just don't do anything unnecessarily stupid okay?"

Naruto regarded his former teacher for a moment, his eyes shining. "It's a promise," he said.

A silence, in which the two only stood and looked at each other, nothing more needing to be said on the issue, the two understanding each other perfectly. "So why are you here this morning?" Iruka asked with a smile, ending the moment.

"I came to say goodbye to Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly. "I got your message that you were off on a mission but didn't have time to meet me for ramen so I thought I'd come to you!"

Iruka couldn't help but laugh at this outburst. "Thank you Naruto," he said still grinning, "That means a lot. I'll treat you to ramen when I get back okay?"

"Alright! Thanks Iruka-sensei! See you later!" Throwing his arms around his old sensei one last time (Iruka wondered how long it would be before he stopped doing that) Naruto bounded for the door. "I may even have brought Sasuke back by the time you get home! Good luck, Iruka-sensei!" Then he was gone, leaving Iruka hoping that he wouldn't be gone from home _that_ long.

Sighing, Iruka decided he had better deal with the more unwelcome of his sudden guests who seemed to be making himself very much at home if the smell of brewing tea was anything to go by.

As he walked into the kitchen he saw his suspicions confirmed. Kakashi now sat at his kitchen with two cups of tea in front of him. As Iruka entered he slid one of these over to the other side of the table. After considering the cup thoughtfully for a second as if he wasn't entirely sure it was safe, Iruka sat down. "Thanks," he murmured.

"No problem," his companion replied, his eye a happy arch.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Iruka sipped his tea; Kakashi remained masked. Then Iruka stood up. "Well, I'd better go and get ready," he said chirpily, "I won't be long; just got to…"

"Iruka-sensei," interrupted Kakashi, "Do you have something you want to ask?"

Iruka turned Kakashi an expressionless face. "I don't mean to be blunt but what are you doing here Kakashi-sensei?" he asked after a pause, "I'm supposed to meet you at the village gates. Nothing was said about you coming to my apartment."

"I just wanted to see if everything was ok," Kakashi replied his face, as always, very difficult to read. Though Iruka believed he would have found it difficult even without the mask.

Iruka's expression remained impassive for a moment then it hardened. "Everything is fine, thank you for your concern Kakashi-sensei," he said with stiff formality, "I have everything organised and I'll be with you and ready to go in about ten minutes. Please make yourself at home," this last said with a touch of sarcasm. Turning, Iruka left the kitchen and made his way back to his room to dress. Alone in the kitchen, Kakashi remained looking at the spot where Iruka had stood, then with a sigh, looked quietly down at the table top.

In his room, Iruka considered his own actions while changing into his ninja gear. Sarcasm, he had actually used sarcasm. Towards a superior no less and to Kakashi which made it even worse. The man would think he had no control whatsoever over his tongue. And Iruka had to agree that around Kakashi at least, this seemed to be true. But really, wasn't he justified? The man comes over to his apartment in the early hours of the morning, makes tea unasked, then questions Iruka's ability as a ninja. What made Kakashi think he wouldn't be ok, that he wouldn't have everything under control. He was as organised as any other ninja who had left the academy and if Naruto's reports were accurate, a lot more so than some, namely, the silver-haired ninja currently in his kitchen. Iruka brushed his teeth vigorously and spit forcefully. Then stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink making himself calm down as he rested his hands either side of the basin. This was not going to be an easy mission.

* * *

The two ninjas made their way together to the gates, though Kakashi seemed to find it necessary to walk a pace behind Iruka which was fine with him as he had nothing to say to Kakashi at this time. There was no-one waiting at the gates, no farewell committee. This was one mission among many; if people waved off everyone who left the city gates no-one would get any work done. Iruka, was surprised therefore when he heard a shout from above. 

"Hoi! Up here Iruka-sensei!"

Looking up, Iruka saw a waving figure on one of the lookout towers above the gate.

"Genma-san!" Iruka waved back, "On gate duty?"

"Yeah, good luck on your mission!"

"Thank you! Maybe see you when I get back!"

Genma waved once in acknowledgement then disappeared from view behind the wall of the tower.

Iruka smiled as he and Kakashi passed through the gates. That was an unexpected though welcome goodbye. Iruka realised again how unused he had become to leaving the village on a mission – it was nice of Genma to remember he had a mission today. Beside him, unnoticed, Kakashi looked at Iruka's smile then looked away towards the forest and the path they were to take. Now taking the lead, Kakashi moved off in their instructed direction, Iruka following behind, smile gone and face grim, preparing himself for what was to come.

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	3. Chapter 3

Hey, I'm back. I feel so bad that it took me so long to post this chapter! My only excuse is that it was a lot harder to write involved ninja plot instead of just fluff - and I didn't even write very much of it! My admiration for you writers out there has gone up considerably I assure you! Well I hope you can forgive me; and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews, as always, are very much appreciated!

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Chapter 3

Whenever Iruka looked back on those first few days of their journey he could never recall very much. Though this new mission brought Iruka out of his village and out of his country and much should have been unusual and exciting, perhaps the events that were to follow were responsible for making these initial days seem mundane by comparison. The – country was 12 days away and as he and Kakashi were in no particular hurry, stealth being the main objective in this mission, they spent this time walking steadily. Their path took them through heavily wooded forest for the most part, though at times they were forced to skirt large meadow clearings or areas of farmland. The countryside seemed peaceful and prosperous and it was hard to imagine the threat that possibly lurked so close to home that could threaten their way of life and difficult to constantly be on guard for any hidden dangers. Iruka found it an increasing struggle to maintain vigilance amongst such tranquil environs and never more so than at night. Nights were spent on the ground without need for a fire as at that time of year the weather was still clement and warm enough to allow comfortable slumber without one. The balmy night air preceded by days of steady exercise had a decidedly soporific effect and Iruka was glad his rigorous ninja training and his own maintenance of that training due to his meticulous character still enabled him to sleep with one metaphorical ear open. Though Iruka was sure Kakashi would have been vigilant enough for the both of them, he did not like the idea of being so reliant on the other man even if he was his superior. Thus his nights were often spent in bouts of sleeping and wakefulness during which he would look at the stars above him through the trees.

On one such night he found himself wondering at the events that had brought him to this point in his life. Parentless and for the most part alone, Iruka had spent his childhood days longing to prove himself and when that seemed more difficult than he had anticipated he had turned to pranks and mischief. His close relationship to Naruto came as no surprise when one considered the similarity of their situations. Becoming a teacher had enabled the honourable and kindly chuunin the opportunity to care for all those who were unfortunate enough to lose a parent, which as they lived in a ninja village was very common. Iruka loved his job even when his pupils drove him to despair at times so it still came as a shock to him when at night he reflected on his current position. In the field on a mission with none other than Hatake Kakashi, the famous copy-nin whose reputation preceded him in almost every respect. Iruka would smile grimly at this thought. His reputation was indeed substantial and his behaviour so far had certainly been in keeping with the image of a deadly assassin. He spoke very rarely and only then to suggest a course of action in a given situation such as when they should stop for the night, when they should eat and what path to take. At night, very little was said as they lay down in relative proximity for much needed rest. Iruka may have found this reticence at communication uncomfortable in a travelling partner had he not been secretly relieved that he need not search for topics of conversation and it was not as if the older man was sullen. In fact he was quite the reverse; Iruka would see him smile to himself when they rounded a corner and a new landscape showed itself to them and all his remarks, when made, were made with a lightness of voice and manner if not with a smile. Iruka even caught the man laughing at him when once he misjudged a delicate step around a small body of water and ended up soaked to mid-shin. The jounin had earned a baleful glare for that one, though not without a hint of self-deprecating humour on Iruka's part. Besides, the peacefulness of their surroundings seemed to encourage quiet reflection and the silence between them was not oppressive; Iruka might even go as far as to call it restive and in some ways, though he wasn't sure if he liked to admit it, companiable. And they did not ignore each other by any means. At a corner or turn in their path, when they had to scout ahead and use extra caution, they seemed to be able to communicate their intentions without using many words.

Yes, thought Iruka, given the potential discomfort that could have been experienced in this situation, due mainly to the rocky start to their acquaintance, the journey was in many ways very pleasant and looked like it wouldn't be as bad as he had thought. Iruka turned his head on the blanket pillowed beneath him and regarded again the man sleeping at the foot of a tree not five metres away, silver hair thrown over his face and glowing faintly in the gentle light from the night sky. He recalled the events of the previous day when they had spoken more words to each other than on the whole journey put together.

* * *

The day had started like any other. Waking up on the hard ground in the small clearing they had settled in for the night, Iruka groaned and rolled over pushing himself up on his elbows. He sat up and ran a hand over his hair which, as usual, had come loose from it's tie. He set about fixing it, pulling out the band, running his fingers through his hair to detangle it a little then gathering it in a ponytail and rewinding the tie to secure it. Rising and turning he found Kakashi regarding him from the edge of the clearing. Kakashi smiled and moved forward and Iruka could see he carried something in his arms. 

"I saw them as we came this way yesterday," Kakashi explained depositing the mushroom he had collected on the ground. "Thought they'd make a nice addition to breakfast."

They ate in silence then gathered their small packs and blankets and once more resumed their steady pace through the forest. _Almost as if we had never stopped_ thought Iruka to himself.

It wasn't until about midday that they stopped again for a small break and a bite to eat. Finishing off the last of his mushrooms, Iruka stood and reaching for both their water bottles moved off in the direction of the sound of water he had noticed earlier. Kakashi only glanced at him and resumed eating, knowing where he was going and that he would be back.

The small stream was only a short distance away though it took Iruka among the trees out of sight of his companion. He crouched down in the shingle at the bank and refilled the bottles with the cool water, quenching his immediate thirst as he did so. As he was standing and twisting the water-tight stoppers back on the bottles, he felt a presence behind him. Before he could move he felt a firm arm pin his own and a gloved hand press against his mouth. Heart beating wildly, Iruka strained his eyes in their sockets to find the identity of his assailant. With no small measure of relief he glimpsed a wild shock of silver hair. Thank the gods. Once his brain had calmed a little he realised he recognised the smell and chakra signature of the man behind him. Having now spent so much time in Kakashi's presence he had become familiar with both these things. All this happened in an instant and Iruka was jerked back from this brief diversion by a movement at his side. Following Kakashi's pointing finger he saw what had alerted the jounin. The vegetation on the opposite steep bank of the stream had been disturbed, and not too long ago. Once again they communicated without words as Kakashi withdrew his arm and hand and moved to Iruka's side. Indicating his intention with a hand gesture, he moved off right along the river and indicated Iruka should take the left. Tying the half-forgotten water bottles in place, Iruka then did as his companion had silently suggested. Silently, the two ninjas crossed the river, using chakra focused in their feet to walk soundlessly _on top_ of the water. Upon reaching the opposite bank they stole swiftly up the steep slope and found positions among the trees at the top that kept them hidden from any potential observers. The scene that greeted their eyes was not one they would have expected to say the least. Although large trees remained all the ground vegetation had been completely obliterated. The trees that had been spared were scarred and bore black score marks and didn't look as if they would live too much longer. Iruka caught movement to his right and saw Kakashi had pulled up his forehead protector and was scanning the area with his sharingan. After a while he replaced the band and moved out from behind his cover and down the slope. After a pause Iruka followed, trotting to catch up. Kakashi stopped at the first tree he came to and ran his hands over the mangled bark. As Iruka joined him he turned and spoke.

"This was some pretty powerful jutsu," he said calmly, "It was executed about two days ago, there's no one here now."

Iruka nodded. He guessed as much from the fact that the jounin had broken cover. After scouting the area a little more, the two men found nothing more of interest and determined that whoever had performed the jutsu did not want any involvement from anyone who may have found the effects of his jutsu; they had left no further evidence of their presence, arrival or departure.

"Who would come out here in the middle of the woods to perform such a jutsu," Iruka pondered aloud, crouching down and examining the disrupted ground, "And for what purpose?"

Kakashi said nothing and it suddenly occurred to Iruka that he was _deliberately_ saying nothing.

"What?" The younger man asked suspiciously.

"The disturbed vegetation by the river bank…"

Iruka stood and wheeled around, "I know! I should have seen it! You happy! I'm a chuunin and I'm out of practice but I should have seen it!"

Kakashi considered the young man in front of him, saw the disappointment and self anger in his face. "I was going to say, it looks like someone was careless enough to leave some evidence of their passing. Either they know we're in the area and they wanted us to know they were here or they're not as good as they'd like us to think."

"….Oh."

"Yes," was Kakashi's succinct reply. Then he sighed. "Look, Iruka-sensei, you were given this mission for a reason. It would help both of us if you had some confidence in your abilities and didn't assume that I don't."

Iruka was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, "Kakashi waved a hand and smiled, "Let's go." He started back up the slope and back to their original trail.

Iruka took one last look around at the scarred landscape then with a sigh followed the silver haired man. It was after they had resumed the steady pace of their journey that Iruka started thinking again. He was given this mission for a reason? Did Kakashi mean anything by that other than to tell him that as a chuunin he was qualified and as a ninja chosen by the Hokage he was even more so? _It would help both of us if you had some confidence in your abilities and didn't assume that I don't_. Iruka smiled grimly. Kakashi claimed to have confidence in Iruka's abilities. He would not let him down.

Beside him Kakashi turned and spoke once again.

"We're getting closer to our destination now. It won't be long before we have to start being more cautious."

Iruka stiffened. Was Kakashi warning him that soon there would be no room for mistakes? So much for believing in his abilities!

"Kakashi-sensei," Iruka began and stopped as the jounin turned his head and gave him his full attention. A raised eyebrow urged him on.

"Kakashi- sensei," he began again, "Why didn't you request an alternative partner for this mission? The Hokage trusts you and I'm sure she would have listened to any alterations in the mission details you suggested. A chuunin academy teacher can hardly be much of a team-mate on a mission like this."

Kakashi stopped then.

"Certainly not one that doesn't listen to advice," He said abruptly though not harshly, "This doesn't sound like confidence to me. Yes, the Hokage does sometimes listen to me but I do not ask for changes in mission details once the mission has already been issued. It is not my place. You are my partner on this mission and we are going to complete it to the best of both our abilities. Understood?"

"Yes,"

"Good. Now come on, I want to get a good distance from here by nightfall."

Once again they moved off and the day was spent in relative peace as neither spoke a word to the other. But something had changed in the air between them and the silence was not as companionable as it had been.

* * *

Iruka sighed and rolled over turning his back on the slumbering jounin. Interesting journey indeed. Closing his eyes, Iruka consciously slowed his breathing and let his mind wander over less important things: a butterfly he had seen that day, a stream that reminded him of one he used to play in as a boy, the by now familiar scent of the forest floor; and gradually fell asleep. Behind him, with his back to the solid trunk of a tree, Kakashi opened his one visible eye and turned it upon the pony-tailed man so close to him. A flicker of interest and then his brow pulled down in a frown as he squeezed his eyes tight shut once more. It was a while before Kakashi followed his younger companion into sleep.

* * *

A/N

If anyone is wondering about the paragraph breaks in the first part of the story, I just felt I had to do something as when I initially posted this chapter it was just one big lump of text. I hate fan fiction dot net's layout sometimes!

And as a small postscript; if anyone feels they want a good sasunaru fic to read, please check out my little sisters fic entitled "Bandage". More reviews might make her updake quicker. I'd prod her myself but being on a different continent has it's drawbacks! Thanks again and I'll try to be more punctual with the next chapter!


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